April 3, 2009 - TOP STORIES
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Ice storm closes 3 North Shore parks
Sportsman’s Warehouse files for bankruptcy protection
DNR seeks comments on lake and stream management plans in International Falls area
St. Cloud area residents watch rising waters
DNR honors top conservation officers
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Ice storm closes 3 North Shore parks
North Shore ice storm hits Minnesota state parks hard
See photo in the April 3 issue of Outdoors Weekly!
DNR News
Fallen trees are blocking roads at Tettegouche, Temperance River and George H. Crosby-Manitou state parks. Also, ice-laden branches are continuing to snap off, prompting safety concerns in all three locations along the North Shore.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the parks have thousands of damaged trees.
“We are still in the process of assessing damage, but it is clear that we’ll have lots of trees to clear from roads and trails,” reported Phil Leversedge, manager of the three parks. “We have thousands of trees weighted down by heavy ice. Small aspen, birch, moose maple, and alder have snapped. Larger trees are losing branches and snapping off high above the ground. Young, 15-foot-tall white and red pines have had their tops break off from heavy ice, forever damaging them. The woods are full of sounds of breaking branches and snapping trees.”
The storm hit the North Shore last Monday and caused power failures in several communities from Two Harbors to Grand Portage.
Cross-country ski trails and snowmobile trails are closed and not expected to reopen this season.
Information about reservations is available at 1-866-85PARKS (1-866-857-2757).
Canceled reservations will be fully refunded.
Sportsman’s Warehouse files for bankruptcy protection
The Outdoor Wire Reports
On Saturday, March 21, Sportsman’s Warehouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing ends speculation that the Midvale, Utah based outdoor chain was struggling for survival despite announcing the closure twenty-three stores, layoff of nearly 2,000 employees and the exchange of fifteen other stores to Canada’s United Farmers of Alberta cooperative as repayment of a late-2008 cash infusion.
That infusion was originally to have been the first phase of an acquisition of eighty percent of the chain by UFA. After due diligence, however, UFA said it was no longer pursuing the acquisition, instead taking fifteen stores along the Canadian border as repayment for the capital infusion in late 2008.
In the Saturday bankruptcy filing, the company listed assets of $436.4 million with liabilities of $452.1 million. Chief Financial Officer Rourk Kemp said in the court filings the company “another retailer victim of the worldwide global recession.” Industry observers, however, say the company was victim of an overly aggressive and fatally-flawed business model.
A Chapter 11 filing is not a liquidation proceeding. It gives a company legal breathing room while it attempts to reorganize itself going forward. During that process, the company will keep its twenty-nine remaining stores open, continue to pay employees’ wages and benefits and honor customer returns and exchanges and gift-card programs.
The filing says the company has secured $85 million in financing from GE Capital Corporation that will be available to it while it is under the Chapter 11 protections.
In the meantime, there are thirty unsecured creditors owed more than $34.2 million dollars who are watching the matter very closely.
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DNR seeks comments on lake and stream management plans in International Falls area
DNR News
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking comments on individual fisheries lake and stream management plans for 11 lakes and one designated trout stream in northern St. Louis and Koochiching counties. Fisheries managers use the plans to describe the past, present, and future conditions of the lake. The plans identify goals and objectives for the fish community and identify specific management activities planned for the lake in the next 10 years.
The lake management plans available for review at this time are for Bartlett, Fat, Mukooda, Kjostad, Myrtle, Moose (near Orr), Gannon, Blackduck, Quarterline, Little Loon, and Franklin
The stream management plan available for review is for Lost River (near Orr).
Copies of the plans are available at the DNR Area Fisheries Office, 392 Highway 11 East, International Falls, Minnesota 56649. Call 218-286-5220 or email jeannine.nelson@dnr.state.mn.us to request a copy. Comments will be accepted until April 7, 2008.
St. Cloud area residents watch rising waters
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – Rising water was a concern among some St. Cloud residents last week.
A faster-than-predicted rise of the Sauk River led to flood warnings and sandbagging in Cold Spring and Sartell. Stearns County also partially activated its emergency operations center last Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service says the Sauk River passed the 6-foot mark into flood stage last Tuesday afternoon. By evening, it was 6.37 feet and rising.
The Mississippi River flirted with its flood stage of 9 feet: the gauge at St. Cloud State University recorded 8.97 feet.
Suzanne Mesna, who lives along the Mississippi north of Sauk Rapids, said an ice jam dragging 10- to 12-foot logs had choked the river, creating a "picture of devastation."
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DNR honors top conservation officers
DNR News
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Enforcement recently recognized six state conservation officers for outstanding performance and service in 2008.
“We honor these dedicated officers for their commitment to their duties, perseverance and professionalism,” said Col. Jim Konrad, DNR Enforcement chief. “This agency and the state of Minnesota are indeed fortunate to have officers like them ensuring the safety of the public while enforcing the state’s natural resources laws.”
Conservation Officer Scott Fritz of La Crescent was named Officer of the Year. This prestigious award is presented annually to an officer based upon overall career performance with an emphasis on the officer’s previous job evaluation period. The highlight of that time was CO Fritz doing rescues using an airboat in debris-laden, fast moving water. He made five rescue trips to save six people during the devastating floods in southeast Minnesota in August 2007.
Others honored include;
CO Scott Staples of Carlton received the Education Achievement Award. The award recognizes an officer based on overall career performance. It includes an emphasis on involvement in the division’s education programs, support and involvement with volunteer instructors, and educational efforts through the media and special presentations.
CO Mitch Boyum of Rushford was honored with the Waterfowl Enforcement Achievement Award. The annual award is presented to a conservation officer dedicated to protecting Minnesota’s natural resources, serving the public and preserving our waterfowl heritage.
CO Darrin Kittelson of International Falls was selected winner of Willard Munger Wetland Achievement Award. The award is named after the long-time legislator who died in 1999, leaving a 43-year legacy of extraordinary environmental activism.
The Boat and Water Safety Achievement Award was presented to CO Tom Hemker of Winona. The honor is based on demonstrated leadership abilities and outstanding achievements in boating safety education, Boating While Intoxicated (BWI) enforcement, and service to other law enforcement agencies.
Capt. Mike Trenholm, DNR chief pilot, was named the Safari Club International Foundation’s 2009 Conservation Officer of the Year. This award is given every year to someone who dedicates themselves to work on behalf of sportsmen and sportswomen. The SCI Conservation Officer of the Year Award will be presented in May in Washington D.C.
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